Tonight was the live West Wing "debate" between two liberals; Alan Alda playing snappy "moderate" Republican Senator Arnold Vinick, and Jimmy Smits playing Democratic House Representative Matthew Santos.

Though scripted, the actors were allowed some leeway, and I do have to give Alda some credit for trying to make his Republican character look somewhat human, even though he had to use the typical right-wing cliches throughout the debate.

On gun control: "It's the right of every American to bear arms!"

On taxes: "Taxes are evil. I will cut taxes. We have too many taxes."

On jobs. "Zero. I will cut jobs!"

Meanwhile, Santos was a vehicle for the writers to vent, as he lashed out at "the most watched network" (meaning Fox News) for dedicating more time to the Aruba story than dead bodies in Iraq.

Santos also proudly defended the 'liberal' label and went on about how blacks are free thanks to liberals who freed them because they're liberals.

After the debate, and not before Ellen DeGeneres shamelessly plugged American Express, viewers were invited to vote at NBC.com for whom they felt won the debate.

It's no secret the vast majority of West Wing viewers are sulking liberals who turn to fantasy to see Democrats consecutively win the presidency, and it's no surprise that Santos was favored 65-35%.